Perfect Snowflake
by wintered.star
Summary: "The white, white snow's coming tonight, make a wish upon your kiss... " To catch the perfect snowflake in the first snow of Christmas eve is to catch your Christmas wish, as the saying goes. Several years ago, someone gave Hiromi (Hilary) his own perfect snowflake. And now after years of waiting for him, the present time is echoing a distant memory... (Kai x Hiromi)
1. Flashback Point

_**DISCLAIMER:**_ I don't claim _Beyblade_ as mine. _Meri Kuri_ belongs to BoA.

_- Hi, everyone! As a fan of the original Beyblade franchise, it tears my heart that the fandom seems to be dwindling in favor of the newer Beyblade set. Of course it also means less fics for Kai x Hiromi (Hilary in the English dub) / KaiHil / KxH / whatever name you could come up with for this pairing.  
_

_- But t'is the season to be jolly, so what better way than to spend it with a lot of KxH goodness! Let me present you with this holiday treat: for KxH fans by a KxH fan. Non-KxH fans are welcome to read, of course, but be sure you know what you're getting into. If you hate this pairing, consider yourself having been warned already by this author's note alone.  
_

_- And by the way, I'm sticking to the original version of the show.  
_

_- The time this fic takes place can be either before or after G-Revolution, although I personally think it fits pre-G-Revolution better._

_- This fic was inspired by the concluding English lines_ _of_ Meri Kuri,_ a song by BoA (the same singer behind _Every Heart_ of Inu-Yasha fame). _Meri Kuri_ is the shortened form of _Meri Kurisumasu_, which means "Merry Christmas" in Japanese. If you haven't heard this musical track yet, I invite you to listen to it sometime as it's a wonderful song.  
_

_- I'm in the firm belief that if it weren't for the training in the abbey, Kai as a child could have been the cutest thing ever. :D  
_

___- So here's the fic: a two-shots Christmas composition. I hope people would read and review this. Let's prove to people that the fandom is not yet dead.  
_

_*bows*  
_

* * *

**PERFECT SNOWFLAKE**

_First Chapter_

* * *

It had been a long time.

The lone figure could see the white cliff just yards away. Minutes later she reached her destination—an expanse of snowy ground, delineated by the edge of the cliff ahead of her. But there was nothing to be alarmed about; the wide stretch of white was more than enough for her to move about. _Things were very different back then._

_"The white, white snow's coming tonight…"_

Hiromi gazed at the sunset sky. _Maybe this time I'll get my chance._

The first shower of snow on Christmas eve contained the perfect snowflake—the first snowflake of such seasonal wonder to descend. The one she longed so much to catch. Every Christmas eve a radiant star would fall from the sky and then transform into a snowflake, coming down ahead of the other sky crystals, or so the saying goes. To catch the perfect snowflake is to catch one's Christmas wish, making it come true. It was the one thing that bridged her now teenage self to her childhood.

The one thing that tied her to that person, the one who had introduced the idea to her in the first place.

_"And you know what? That song also reminds me a lot of that perfect snowflake thing!"_

_"But it's only the last line that even comes close to that saying. The rest of that song doesn't speak anything about it—"  
_

_"It talks about winter! That's good enough!"_

In exchange for such a way to make her feel better, she had taught that person a song. Well, it was more like she had bossed that person into learning a song. _Meri Kuri—_that musical composition she had heard countless times over the radio, played everywhere she went, to the point of memorizing it by heart. A childhood staple.

Back then she had been too young to understand abstract concepts in the lyrics such as love. But somehow it had grown on her, had brought her comfort during those Christmas seasons where she could only sit and gaze at snow. Perhaps it was because, romance aside, the song sounded hopeful. And the fact that it spoke of winter and Christmas, even if only by title, enabled her to relate to it.

"The son of my best friend nearly died in an accident during a winter," Hiromi's mother always explained whenever Hiromi asked why she was forbidden to play in the snow. No matter how many times she would promise to her mother not to be as reckless in playing as that boy had been, the older woman had been too protective of her to even hear her out. It had made Hiromi so lonely and envious at the same time of the other children who always frolicked in the snow while she was the only one sitting out all the fun. It wasn't just because everyone who knew her had also learned about her prohibition. Who and why would anyone pay attention to her anyway? No kid in his right mind would be able to resist the call of the white nature.

Of course now she was in her teens. Now she could play in the snow all she wanted. But she couldn't feel the expected enthusiasm about it. Without that person, it was just not the same. _I wonder what happened ever since…_

Like an aging photo, years had begun fogging her memory. That person's face, it was quite a blur to her; the name, she couldn't recall. This kind of forgetfulness could be considered normal as a person grew up but for some reason Hiromi could retain memories of events. She remembered herself running away to be alone, in search of a place where she could play without fearing anyone would report her to her mother. Losing her way, she had ended up here in this general area ahead of the cliff. But instead of making her feel better, playing alone in the snow had made her even lonelier than ever, making her cry.

But then someone had approached her. That child had made her stop crying by making her believe in the perfect snowflake, had offered to play with her and had promised to keep her fun a secret. The promise had been easy to keep given that Hiromi and her mother had never seen that person before. So for a few more days they would meet in isolated places to play. Hiromi considered it a miracle that not even once had she been caught by her mother.

It was this kind of memory that she was anchoring that someone's wish with. After all, that person was the first who had genuinely wanted to befriend her, to overcome her loneliness. It was only five years ago when she had finally been granted her freedom to make the wintered ground her playground, thus finally having the chance to catch the perfect snowflake and make her Christmas wish come true. And save this year, it had been all that her past wishes were about: to see that person again.

She fingered the snowflake hanging below her neck delicately. It wasn't a genuine one, of course, or it wouldn't have survived the past course of the years she had waited. Rather, her pendant was a mere Christmas ornament, a thick glass fashioned in the most intricate pattern of the sky crystal she had ever come across. Not to mention the most breathtakingly beautiful, the fine silver glitters letting it twinkle in her hand. In fact, it it weren't for the symmetrical geometry, Hiromi would have believed she was holding a winter star.

_He will come. _She wasn't going to wish for that this time, to give room to another of her heart's desire. Rather, she would believe. And she could feel it this time. _This time he will come.  
_

Footsteps sounded behind her, and Hiromi instantly whirled, unable to believe how quick to come true her thoughts became. But then her heart sank a bit. "Oh, it's you, Kai."

"Expecting someone else, I see." Without missing a beat, Kai turned to walk away.

"No! I'm not sending you away," she called out hastily and he halted. "Of course you can hang out here. It's not like I own this place anyway." Her eyebrows knitted. "So, what brings you here anyway?"

She received no verbal reply. Hiromi had expected that. To an outsider of the team, it could have meant, _None of your business; mind your own_. But she knew better: _It's not important for you to know_, or _I'm here to muse or think things over._

He took his place near the cliff, a few meters ahead of her, not just to fulfill his need for space but also as a respect for her personal distance in the meantime. That was one of the reasons Hiromi appreciated about him—he knew Hiromi wasn't one hundred percent the moral support provider and maintenance care of the team all the time. He was aware that inside and outside beyblading, she was just like everyone else: an individual, capable of having times of anger, surprise, fear, wistfulness, silence. Just like the way she needed silence right now. But more importantly, all these were wrapped up in the one thing Kai held the most: the value of privacy.

Sometimes, though, Hiromi thought that Kai was swearing by this philosophy a bit too much. True, she had seen glimpses of his personality from time to time. She couldn't deny that he had a, though rather well-hidden, caring side; she had experienced it firsthand by getting saved twice. And she was a witness to a gamut of emotions he had displayed in avenging Yuuya—guilt, fear, fury, satisfaction. Kai was also a picture of masked devastation when he had lost Suzaku to Zeo, propelling him to nearly desert beyblading because of it.

And that was the thing: despite the snapshots of his inner nature, Hiromi still had a lot to grasp about him, things that she knew she would learn if she could interact with him more but could never outright ask him about. Did he enjoy any particular music? If given a chance to learn another hobby, would he go for it? Kai expressed himself through beyblading only but there had got to be more about the person than the beyblader. Hiromi found it rather odd how Kai could see the person in someone such as how he had in her yet couldn't seem to do it to himself. _That, or he deems himself a private person. _

In addition, outside beyblading Kai seemed to be still all about training: training himself just to pass time, practicing even though the situation of the team such as outings didn't call for it. There was nothing wrong with constantly improving oneself, Hiromi knew. But it was like outside the sport, he didn't seem to have a life. Besides that, Kai seemed to be too serious at times. He never seemed to smile at all, just lifting the corner of his mouth that amounted to smirks of varying levels of satisfaction or arrogance.

_Maybe it's because of his background?_ Hiromi had only gathered bits and pieces from Takao, Max, Rei and Kyoujyu whenever they'd be carried away by waves of nostalgia on the "good old days." But she could put two and two together, despite the lack of the puzzle pieces: Kai had a rough and pressuring childhood, molding him into the silent and serious beyblader, no, person that he was. A person with past loyalty issues, now fully behind him. Of course Hiromi wasn't going to cease being his friend just because of that.

Sometimes though, she found herself wondering how things would run between them if she were actually more than just his friend. Having gone through so many trials with the team, Hiromi had learned to appreciate each beyblader but her sense of caring was strongest when it came to Kai. Perhaps he had attracted her with himself being some sort of a paradox: Kai was strong but he had weak spots to overcome; he was capable on his own yet he needed someone he could count on. And despite Kai being a fierce competitor, as a person he was also vulnerable. Hiromi wanted to occupy the second half of that paradox, the territory of something beyond platonic but not in the sibling sense at the same time. There was one problem though.

What did Kai really think of her as?

Regardless of how Hiromi really felt for him, she had no idea as to what her real standing in Kai's life was. She could only assume that at the safest, she was a comrade. At best, a friend. At worst… well, she didn't want to find out._  
_

Perhaps it was the silent infatuation brewing in her that was making her gain these thoughts. Kai's first love was beyblading; whatever came second place didn't seem to matter to him. With this kind of paradigm, it would be a miracle if Kai considered Hiromi beyond a teammate. Like a friend. What went above that platonic level would be next to impossible.

Hiromi inwardly sighed. She knew she should just stop over-analyzing him for her own peace of mind but she couldn't help it. But that was what made her perfect snowflake this year even more important to catch. _Wishing that we can exist as more than just friends by my meaning much more to him—it's all I ever want__. _But there was only one choice. She had to face the fact that she really liked him regardless of what and how he was, but that she could only take what he could only offer. _  
_

_But then…_ Her mind raced back to the way the teen with two-toned hair had provided her privacy. No person would have done that if his relationship with her was nothing more than impersonal.

That settled it then. Hiromi was Kai's friend—she didn't know up to what extent it was for him—but a friend was still a friend. She would have to stick to that in the meantime.

Deciding to push back all romantic sentiments about him, she glanced at him. Even with his back on her, she knew from the way his arms seemed to be crossed in front of him that he was on serious thinking mode again.

Well, it was time to put an end to that. Perhaps it was being as a teenager in the presence of the soft white all around her—the very thing that had restricted her years back—that had sparked that inner liberation for anything now. Or maybe it was because Christmas, the season of good cheer, was drawing near that it felt there was no problem in taking all the liberties of being a friend. Kai's friend, to be exact.

So she kept her distance for a good ten minutes, her equal response to the privacy he had provided her with. Finally she thought of joining him near the rock ledge when he turned around and walk away from the scene of snow and pine trees just before him. "So, this is rather refreshing: you coming to me in an isolated area instead of the usual other way around."

He stopped.

Her eye narrowed in mock suspicion. "You're not following me, are you?"

Kai's eyes flicked to her, then ahead of him, all the while never saying a word.

She nearly sighed. "It was just a joke, Kai. Seriously though, you need to loosen up. I don't know what heavy thoughts you have been weighing in your mind for the past minutes but maybe it's time for you to take a break from it. I mean, look around you! The moon looks so full tonight—" she gestured toward the now visible but faint moon that signaled the start of the evening—"the air is so cold and Christmas will be here in just a few hours!" She pulled his arm in an attempt to lead him to an area with heavy layer of snow but he remain rooted to his spot."Well?"

"Playing in the snow, eh? I'm not a kid to do that sort."

"Come on, Kai. Stop being so uptight; Christmas is not the time for that. Besides, it's just the two of us here. Let's take advantage of the snow while we're at it. It will be fun!"

"Count me out. I have better things to do." He turned around and began walking away.

"But—"

"No."

A handful of snow struck his back, halting him. Slowly Kai turned his head to the source. "What's your problem?"

"My problem?" Hiromi shook her head, planting her hands on her hips. "I sure don't have any. _You're_ the one who needs to lighten up here." She threw another mass of snow at Kai, who moved out of the way to avoid getting hit. "Come on, play in the snow with me, Kai!"

"I don't do trivial stuff."

"And why's that?"

"Juvenile."

Auburn eyes rolled in response. "Really. Don't tell me you've never done this before even as a child." She sent her third snowball at her companion who avoided it once more. "Hey, don't just stand there. Throw some snow at me! There should be at least two people in this game!"

"I think you're doing an excellent job alone."

"And where's the fun in that?" But when he said nothing, her face broke into a grin. "Well, if you really think so." Gloved hands took hold of white, hurling it at Kai but he evaded it, earning a smirk from him. Finally, a sign of fun for him. _See? You'd be a better person if you could loosen up a bit. _

Gathering an ample amount of snow again, she flung it at her target but he simply ducked his head. Okay, so he was good at this evasion thing but Hiromi bet he wouldn't last long. With that in mind, she threw another snowball at him but he stepped aside just in time. This caused her to frown, which in turn made him smirk even more. Then as fast as she could, she moved forward to keep on firing snowballs at Kai, who did nothing but stepping back to keep his distance and dodging every single winter bullet aimed at him.

"Don't tell me that's the best you can do." Kai's smirk never left his face at the fact that not even a single clump of snow from Hiromi could even touch him.

"Shut up and stay in one place!" He was so annoying! Not only because she couldn't even hit him but also because of that ever-present smirk!

Finally he stopped when he was backed against a tree. She had him trapped. Perfect. It was Hiromi's turn to smirk at her prey, flinging her umpteenth ball of snow at Kai.

But her target just moved his head to his side, hands on pockets while even simply closing his eyes as the snow missed its aim. She attempted again, only to fail… again.

"Stop moving, will you! I can't hit you properly!"

"That's not my problem." The smirk played on Kai's face.

"Just do what I said!" Her hand hurled another ball at him.

The snow just zoomed past his painted cheek without him actually moving at all.

"Argh! That's _it_!" As quickly as her hands could, she gathered balls and balls of snow before her. When the white pile was huge enough, she took a couple of snowballs, determined to slam Kai with even at least one. Then she frowned, remembering the way the male beyblader had evaded her attacks. Well, slam him with even at least _half_ a snowball. "All right, Kai, you're going down—Huh?"

Her target was no longer standing before her.

Where did he go? "Kai? Where are you?" she called out, scanning her surroundings but all she found was snow. Forgetting her pile of white balls, she turned, trudged through the white, then shouted his name again. But no one responded to her calls. She stopped, planting her hands on her hips in wonder. _Where on earth is that guy? He couldn't have left me… could he? _

The only answer she got was a hard snowball that struck her on the side of her head.

* * *

From behind the very same tree where he had stood before, Kai watched Hiromi collapse to the snowy ground, mentally shaking his head. For someone who was one of the brains behind his team, Hiromi had conveniently forgotten to check _behind _the tree just in front of her and gone in the other direction instead. For a while, his glance fell on her made-up pile of ammunition. _She must be _really _desperate to hit me,_ he mused, a smirk pushing its way through his lips while he waited for her to stand up.

Only she didn't.

Kai's smirk lost a few notches. Why wasn't Hiromi getting up? He waited for a few more moments but there was no sign of life yet from where the brunette used to stand. Though the smirk still remained, the curve of his mouth slightly lowered, and he headed over to her spot. When he was close enough, he found her lying on her side, eyes closed, white coat in disarray to her seemingly limp arms and legs. With the way her body heavily engraved itself on the thick snow, she bore the image of a vulnerable maiden of nature who fell. Hard.

"Get up."

Hiromi remained motionless.

The smirk finally evaporating, uneasiness was beginning to settle on Kai's stomach. Then he knelt down, mentally frowning while shaking the girl's shoulder. "Hiromi, wake up."

Nothing.

The uneasiness inside him grew. Kai shook Hiromi even harder yet earned no response from her, a barely concealed frown on his cold face this time. Had he thrown that snowball at her too hard? He hadn't meant to; all he ever planned was to hit her only once so that she would get a whooping dose of her own medicine and make her stop for good. He wasn't counting on _knocking her out_ in the process. "Wake up, Hiromi. Come on."

Still nothing.

_This can't be good._ This time Kai took her shoulder to turn her so that she faced him. Scooping up her back and shoulders with one strong arm, his free hand took her waist, her lower frame resting on his thighs. At the limpness of her body, at the frozen hurt expression on her face, he fought to keep out the worry from his tone. "Hiromi. Hey, Hiromi, do you hear me? Answer me."

Hiromi remained still. It was like Kai was holding a delicate doll in his arms.

He silently swore in his mind. What the hell had he done? He shook her again and again. When nothing else worked, his hand carefully brushed away her hair to check if her temple was bleeding. Having found no sign, he drew her closer to him, examining her face thoroughly for blood, swelling, bruise, anything. It was then that he realized how he had already trespassed the boundary of both his and Hiromi's personal space, so close that his breath was already warming her frozen face…

Suddenly she stirred, and he pulled away a little to take a look. Then he heard a faint sound that sounded like…

Giggling?

"Gotcha."

A sudden jerk from her arm, and the next thing the dual-haired teen knew, an ample amount of snow had already covered his face. And he heard that giggling again. _Hiromi's giggling._ And it escalated to hard laughter. Just at the same time she was rejoicing, "I finally did it!", he immediately dropped her like a mug of boiling water, ignoring her yelp as she gracelessly fell back on the snow.

"Hey, that really hurts, Kai!" she complained, finally sitting up.

"You tricked me," he stated indifferently. Inside, however, he was standing somewhere between just plain relieved and really annoyed.

"Well, you were being sly too," she shot back, clutching her temple. "And your snowball _did _hurt quite a lot, you know."

"So you had to go and pretend you got knocked out to get even with me."

"The way you said it, you made it sound bad. But you didn't sound like we had repulsion when you pulled me so close to your face…"

"I was checking your head for injuries," he responded curtly. "But with the way you seem now, it's obvious you have _none_." And abruptly, he got up, walking away from her.

"Hey, come on, don't be like this," she said, grinning while following him. "It's all in the name of good fun!"

Fun? Hardly. Kai ignored her, moving on like he was the only living, scratch that, the only _walking_ living creature around.

"Hey, don't be mad anymore, Kai! You hardly lighten up, so I thought the snowball thing would help. And you threw one at me, didn't you? Hey, at least you made progress by one step!"

_That _was supposed to make him feel better? Kai nearly scowled without stopping in his tracks.

"I'm sorry, really, Kai. It won't happen again! Hey, pay some attention to me, will you!"

By now Kai had lost all the remaining enthusiasm to even respond to the auburn-eyed girl, leaving her and her pleas and apologies behind. It was only when he had gone several more meters away that he realized he was no longer hearing Hiromi talk or even trail behind him. In fact… He glanced over his shoulder.

In fact, Hiromi was no longer behind him.

Now what? Kai followed back his own trail but the brunette couldn't be found. Was this another of her pranks? Why wouldn't he be surprised. So he waited for a couple of minutes, good enough to strain Hiromi out of her hiding place, out of whatever she was attempting to do. When nothing happened, logic dictated him to really, thoroughly search for her. As much as he wasn't in the mood for a game of hide and seek, his protectiveness won him over to its side.

So still going back to where he came from, he called out her name a few times, maintaining his tone neutral. But each time nothing happened, layer after layer of uneasiness once more piled on his stomach, and soon it was melting into anxiety. Tension that was entirely different from the kind he experienced during beyblade training was straining his muscles.

Where the hell was that girl? Why couldn't Kai find her? If something had happened to her while he was just only a short distance _in front _of her, if he failed to ensure her safety in _his_ perimeter…

"Geez, I can't stand this anymore!" A mass of snow flew off the ground, revealing Hiromi sitting up just five feet away from Kai's shoes. "It sure took you a long time; I was freezing to death here already!"

So after all the worry, after following his gut, it all ended in another unamusing joke. Kai's temper was unusually stretching thin already, about to snap. If it had been about any other person, ignoring such apparent immaturity would be a piece of cake for him. But somehow, there was something about Hiromi that was easily screwing his gut, his senses, everything. And today was one of those rare occasions where his gut was misinterpreting all information his senses were taking in. So it was no wonder that he hated this girl making him worry needlessly. His voice took on a slight edge to it. "Perhaps you should have."

Hiromi, on the other hand, was laughing, lightly punching him on his arm. Didn't she get it? "Come on, Kai. It's not a big deal."

But he shrugged off her playing fist, a dark cloud casting its shadow on his eyes. The last thing he wanted was burning emotions toward Hiromi to set their fire inside him but it was hard to gain control at the moment. "Perhaps you haven't heard yet about the boy who cried wolf," he stated coldly. "But go ahead." He didn't even look at her as he passed her by.

"One day, no one will save you."

* * *

Hiromi cringed hard at those words. Only moments ago she was having so much fun, even if it meant reverting to the manner of an immature child. She had even considered Kai a spoilsport, raining on her party by his lack of participation. She knew he had also been annoyed by her previous injured bird act. But now, it seemed… lame. So lame and foolish that she couldn't feel its bright spirit anymore. Not missing how Kai's tone rivaled the temperature of snow, she wondered if she had gone too far. She did know what the boy who cried wolf meant, and her companion seemed… _pissed off._

She couldn't help but notice how bothered and worried he had been. It was a mistake to play on those two very aspects of him for fun, especially when they manifested themselves on such rare occasions like this. What _was_ she thinking? What if she had been in real danger? And what if by that time, Kai would have just abandoned her?

_"One day, no one will save you."_

Ashamed, she kept her head low, unable to look at him. "I'm sorry," she softly tried.

No response.

That was to be expected. Hiromi turned around, finding it easier to try in her mind, in the absence of Kai's presence, weaving a mat of apology that would sound sincere enough to gain his forgiveness. _And respect back?_ She hoped _that_ wouldn't be the case; learning the conditions to earn Kai's attention had been tough enough. She must not mess this apology up. It took her a good amount of time to achieve her goal but when she did an about-face, Kai was already gone. Her stomach knotted itself. "Kai? Kai, where are you!"

Silence.

Her heart stopped. _Oh no. He left me. For good._ Then she shook her head. _No, Kai wouldn't abandon me in a place like this. That's not like him at all…_

But wasn't it also not like her to play immature jokes on distant people either?

_Please tell me he just wants revenge by playing the same trick on me._ But no matter how far she looked, all she saw was snow, pine trees and more snow. Her feet led her forward as she shouted his name, sounding more and more desperate. Going back alone during the daytime, she could handle without question. But to do it as night was beginning to settle when she might have been abandoned by someone who was just with her—she felt a shiver run through her. _If I had been alone throughout this whole time, I could have mentally prepared myself to go back alone. But people don't just randomly disappear. _

But where on earth was Kai then?

* * *

In perfect silence, Kai had a good view of Hiromi, well-hidden among the remaining white foliage of the dry branches of another tree. It wasn't like he was being a hypocrite, but he wanted to know how she would react if he weren't around to watch over her. It was something he normally wouldn't give a care about, but then, situations such as this did not occur very often.

He watched some more as the object of his gaze shouted his name in desperation. Hiromi could wonder and look for him all she wanted until she broke down, but for now it didn't matter to Kai. He could stay up here in the tree for all he cared.

"Come on, Kai! This isn't funny anymore!"

And what happened just before this was?

But then she halted, then looked down at herself, then all around her. Then she traced back her own trail, the gap between her and Kai's position increasing. Kai fought the urge to roll his eyes. Like lulling him to let down his guard and come down was going to work on him.

But the more he watched the brunette's continuous and repetitive actions, the less he became assured that this was just a ploy of hers to bait him. It was like she was searching or something like that. Perhaps she thought he also hid himself in the thick ground of snow the way she did. After several minutes, Hiromi had passed through almost the entire trail of shoe prints she had left behind… and was approaching the same cliff where Kai had been standing before. And she still didn't stop.

Kai mentally frowned at this, but then shook himself out of it. _Don't tell me she'd be idiotic enough to go there._ Of course Hiromi, being the responsible girl she was, wasn't. Satisfied with his logic, he tried to relax by leaning against the tree trunk.

_"Oh no, it's getting away!" _

A sudden jolt struck through his body, and immediate tension filled him. It was like… like something very wrong…

Hiromi stepped even nearer the cliff.

_"I almost got it…" Then a child's piercing shriek…_

Something very wrong… and dangerous…

Not wasting a second, he leapt down from the tree, footsteps digging a trail in the snow like the needle of a sewing machine on blank fabric. "Don't go there!"

Hiromi stopped at the edge of the pointed tip of the cliff, bending down to the ground…

The unstable foundation beneath her feet crumbled…

_"Kai, help me!"_

Hiromi's eyes widened in surprise and terror, her feet already giving in…

Kai leapt to grab her wrist but could only manage to touch her palm…

_His small hand missed the child's outreached one…_

Acute pain shot through his head at the most crucial mental scene, nearly drawing back his hand as an automatic response…

_And he felt so powerless as the child's body sailed below his sight…_

That he lost contact with even her fingers…

_As though everything was played in a painful slow motion…_

Adrenaline shot its boost through Kai, making him thrust his other hand to grab hers…

_And the next thing he heard…_

But her fingers slipped off from her glove that he was holding…

_Was a thud…_

Hiromi was falling, face first. Distance increasing. Time running. A vague history repeating…

_I won't allow it._

Without thinking any further, he dove after her.

_[To be continued...]_

* * *

_- Please leave a review. Whether you have an account here or you're simply a guest reader, feedback is very much welcome. Let's spread the KxH goodness! :)  
_

_- Because I'm running a fever even as I type this, I might have missed spotting some errors here, and I'm sorry for that. I hope I'd be able to post the final chapter around Christmas time. Please watch for it; it will contain even more KxH interaction than what you found here. Thanks and Merry Christmas in advance! :)  
_


	2. The White, White Snow's Coming Tonight…

___**DISCLAIMER:**_ I don't claim _Beyblade_ as mine. _Meri Kuri_ belongs to BoA.

_- Let me begin by giving my wholehearted thanks to_ **mahwish1**,**LiAnn**_ and **(Guest)** for reviewing, and to _**DreamersChance**_ for adding this fic to his/her Favorite Story list and Story Alert subscription. Reviews, favorites and alerts are the lifeblood of a fanfic writer's will, especially when the fandom is dying... Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, your visible responses to the first chapter were highly appreciated._

_Review response:  
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_**mahwish1** - Thanks for the concern! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I hope you'll also enjoy the rest of the fic as it unfolds. :)  
_

_**LiAnn** - I'm honored by your comprehensive review! :) Regarding the only-one-review thing, who knows, for all we know KxH/KaiHil may be dead already or at least is dying. Or I may be just being too stubborn to believe it, hehe. Oh well, I'll find out at the end of this year if there are still people who support KxH through reviews. In the meantime, I'm glad you delighted at the stuff I've put Kai and Hiromi through. I'm also relieved to find out he hadn't strayed from his character. The cliffhanger is necessary, so you have to forgive me for that. Thanks for the concern and I hope you'll continue to be delighted for the rest of the story. :)  
_

_**(Guest)** - Thanks! I hope you'll enjoy reading the rest of this fic. :)  
_

_- I know I wrote in the previous chapter that this would be a two-shot fic. But after I've recovered, I've decided to split the final chapter into two for easier reading (and also because my editing time has been shortened due to my sickness; I could only prepare the first half of that chapter in time for my set deadline).  
_

_- From this point on, some lines from _Meri Kuri_ will be used. I've included a translation beside each line. But note that it's not always one-to-one correspondence; it depends on whether or not the next line completes the sentence. Japanese grammar stuff.  
_

_- I really like playing with the boundary between friendship and romance, between Kai and Hiromi. I'm not sure if this fic is what people call fluff, or maybe it's something close to being WAFF-y. But whatever it is, I enjoyed writing Kai and Hiromi here, and I hope you guys enjoy reading about them here. Anyway, here we go. *bows*_

* * *

**PERFECT SNOWFLAKE**

_Second Chapter_

* * *

_What just happened?_ Hiromi thought, disoriented. Her eyes closed, the air around her still felt cold but for some reason she found it difficult to get up. Not when she felt she was lying on the ground. And it felt so cozy…

_Cold air currents from below hitting her body. Then the sensation of an arm grabbing her…_

Her eyes snapped open only for her to realize she _was_ indeed lying down. But instead of snowy ground, she was on top of a muscular body and she could feel a male hand and arm shielding her head. _Kai!_

"You aren't hurt?"

It was the second time she had heard him ask her that, again in such close proximity with him, sparking a memory of her gazing up at him shielding her from falling rocks. As Kai's hand released her head, Hiromi slowly lifted herself off his chest and saw Kai's eyes slightly unguarded. "Y-Yeah. Thanks for saving me."

For a while Kai's gaze at her seemed to be making sure she was telling the truth. But all of a sudden his face hardened as he sat up. "Are you fed up with your own life?"

She nearly drew back. "Wh-What…" What was with the complete turn of mood?

"What's with you, planning to kill yourself like that!"

Shock took over her for a while at Kai's hard glare at her. "Of course I wasn't planning to commit suicide. It was completely an accident!"

"Accident? Then what's with that stunt you just pulled a while ago, you even going to the edge of that cliff?"

"I was looking for something!" she protested. "I must have lost it when I was searching in a hurry for a place to hide myself in the snow. But that's where I found it—by the edge of the cliff!"

"Putting yourself in danger always—it's that bad habit of yours from the start." Kai didn't even seem to care about her explanation. "Why do you enjoy making me…" He stopped.

She gazed at him in wonder. "Making you what?"

"Tch." Kai looked away, as though he had said too much. He moved to stand up but suddenly cringed, trying to clutch his back.

"Are you okay?" Hiromi asked in worry. If anything happened to Kai, she knew it would be her fault.

Kai ignored her.

"Kai, I…" Then she noticed for the first time that his other hand was holding Dranzer, its tip nearly worn out. Her gaze fell on the side of the cliff and saw a long heavily dug trail along it. _He used Dranzer as a brake while holding me?_ It must have been somehow strengthened by Suzaku's lent power for it to remain miraculously intact. The realization brought her to shame and all the more she didn't want him to be mad at her anymore.

Kai remained still, allowing time for his back to recover.

"Look, I'm really sorry for that. It's just that I didn't notice how far I've ventured. I…" Hiromi looked down at first but then forced herself to look him in the eye. "I won't be reckless anymore, Kai. I give you my word." _Please don't stay mad at me._ Alienating Kai was in itself a wrong move. Letting him put himself in danger because of this move was ten times the burden her conscience could bear. "You're not injured, are you?"

_"Are you injured anywhere?"_

Hiromi blinked as the flashback speared through her mind.

_The slope, a cushion of heavy layer upon heavy layer of snow..._

She looked around her, then at the slope below Dranzer's trail, that lead to her spot right now. _That's right, it _did _happen here._ And someone was telling her to not cry…

As her glance fell back on herself, she realized how chilled her right hand was. Quickly she grabbed her missing glove off the ground, just somewhere beside Kai.

"That thing," Kai stated, eyes closed but looking physically more comfortable now. Then he gave Hiromi an unreadable stare. "It must mean a lot to you for you to nearly throw away your life like that."

"I told you, I wasn't planning to commit suicide," she was about to say but then held her argument back. So instead she just sighed. "I can't afford to lose it. It's the only memory that I hold."

_But where is it now? _Hiromi recalled that she had managed to pick up the snowflake pendant right before the cliff gave in. Her hold must have loosened when she and Kai landed on the slope at the end of their slowed down fall. So she stood up and headed over to the foot of the slope.

* * *

Kai watched Hiromi kneel on the snow and begin looking around the ground. Unbelievable. _How could she still search for that thing when she could have easily _died_ just minutes ago?_ In front of him, no less. And just right after he had warned her that someday nobody would save her, not even him. What they both needed to do right now was to get out of this place.

_This place… _For the first time Kai gazed around, at the white slope and then all the way up the cliff. This place looked familiar. But how could it be? He was pretty sure he had never decided to go here before. But then…

"Oh no, where is it?"

Hiromi's nearly panicked voice brought Kai out of his thoughts, and he turned to find her restless as she continued her search. Hiding Dranzer inside his pocket, he walked over to her. "It's getting dark. We need to leave now."

"No." Hiromi didn't even look up at him. "I'm not leaving until I find that pendant."

Kai's eyebrows nearly scrunched together at this. Stubborn girl. He knew Hiromi wasn't going to bulge but at the same time he couldn't just leave her alone here while he went back up. So with no other better option, he moved to another area of the end of the slope and knelt down, examining the ground for that mysterious pendant.

Hiromi blinked at his unexpected action, then smiled faintly and shot a grateful look at her companion.

For several minutes they both continued searching in silence. Kai made sure he got all the grounds covered yet there wasn't any sign of a pendant anywhere. The moon was shining brightly by now but the search would have been easier if Hiromi had lost that thing during daytime. Maybe it had stopped sliding somewhere along the slope. With that in mind, Kai set to head up.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he caught something glitter several feet away from him, and he turned. True enough, there was an object farther, sparkling under the moonlight. Kai strode his way until he reached it, then knelt down on one knee. And he froze.

A snowflake, cradled in snow.

Something jogged in Kai's mind and he started. _What…_ His gaze fell on the pendant or what should be a pendant. It seemed like a Christmas decoration for the holiday tree, the thin lace from where it hung snapped. Gingerly he picked it up. He was sure he hadn't seen this ornament before.

So how come it felt this wasn't the first time he had ever held it?

"Oh, you found it!"

In his preoccupation Kai hadn't even felt Hiromi's presence beside him.

The girl looked like she would hug him any time now from sheer happiness. "Thank you thank you so much, Kai! I really owe you one!"

But instead of acknowledging her gratitude, he found himself gazing long and hard at the big snowflake in his palm. Apart from it fashioned into a snowflake, there was nothing really special about it. But why was it that it seemed to hold some significance for him? There was something about it that was tinkering with his memory…

"Kai?" Hiromi sounded confused and quite concerned. "What's the matter?"

Kai chose not to answer her. Not that he could completely figure out the matter himself already. Instead he just handed over the ornament to Hiromi who then knotted the lace behind her neck. "Come on. Let's go."

"But how?" she asked as Kai searched around for a way up where they came from. "This cliff might not be as high as I thought it was but still it—hey, Kai, is that another slope?" She pointed at an upward path meters away from them.

They rushed over to check it out. Hiromi was right. However Kai could also see, despite the moonlight casting much shadow of the enormous boulder on their path, that it was also heavily layered by much snow.

Hiromi frowned. "This is going to be so troublesome. There must be some way we could do to get through this."

_There is. _Kai whipped out his shooter and Dranzer from his pocket and launched it. "Burn, Suzaku!"

Fire burst around Dranzer as a majestic phoenix erupted from the bit chip with a shrill cry. As the beyblade rushed up along the slope, Suzaku soared with grace along with it, melting all snow beneath them until all that was left was a dry and wide path.

Hiromi's jaw dropped in awe. "That... That was so cool!" In her excitement, she hurried forward to begin the walk.

Hiding his shooter, Kai followed her. At least this time he would be able to keep her in his sight, in case anything happened again. He gazed ahead of the girl. Suzaku was keeping a distance good enough to illuminate their way, wings of flame flapping gently. Each time Kai and Hiromi advanced, Dranzer would move along to adjust its distance.

But despite this progress, a part of Kai's mind still wandered to Hiromi's snowflake. There was something about it that kept giving him a pleasant sense of deja vu. If the memory wasn't that important, Kai wouldn't be this bothered that he had to recall it at all costs. But whatever it was, he was certain about one thing: it wasn't part of his memories founded in Russia.

Russia had stolen much of his childhood. There, a young boy was nothing more than a soldier, victory the only means of survival, camaraderie among friends expressed by cold distrust of each other. To have fun was to completely annihilate the opponent's spirit and his beyblade, to gain no second chances a form of discipline. To say _stolen_ would not suffice. Russia, Borg in particular, had _destroyed_ his childhood.

Russian snow, the natural witness to his 'childhood' had felt so different. It was physically cold, as expected, but there was something chilling about it, something unnerving and disconcertingly quiet. Like it was the lull of false sense of security before sentencing one's life away. To be in its presence outside the abbey could mean either scarce freedom or surviving on your own. Kai had only been fortunate enough that he had been burning with the abbey-developed need for power and perfection to really feel its icy death threat. But had he known earlier that this kind of snow and the abbey it blessed were what had awaited him, he never would have fallen victim of his grandfather's enticing promises.

When he had gone back here in Japan, Kai hadn't cared about winter until sometime after winning the World Championship with his team, now as valued friends. Having abandoned his past cold and power-hungry self, he had gained a keener observation of how winter in Japan contrasted so much to that in Russia. While winter was the way of harsh life in Russia, in Japan it was a mere season yet being in its snow made people carefree, enjoy fun, and exercise freedom that a lot took for granted.

Constantly witnessing such enjoyment especially by kids had finally made Kai wonder what his life would have been if he hadn't agreed to go with his grandfather to Russia. Kai used to delight being developed into perfection by Borg before. Now he shunned the organization, and everything it stood for and for murdering the better person he could have become. He never belonged in Russia.

Japan was his only home.

And this realization gave him a new kind of hope: Russia might have destroyed his childhood or at least much of it but it didn't mean he couldn't salvage what pieces of it were left here in Japan. His personal encounter with Black Dranzer might have momentarily messed up recollection of the ugly part of his past. But it was only here in Japan where there existed memories the abbey hadn't been able to taint.

So on his personal time he had been exploring as many places as he could, trying to retrace past steps and put pieces of his missing childhood together. He owed it to himself. But so far there hadn't been much old memories he could recall, especially at the usual hangout places of his team. Today he had gone to this cliff area because it was one of the only few unexplored places left where a memory had yet to spark. If such a memory happened to be the last one he ever had, then all the more valuable it was for Kai. Just as how the bit chip containing the sacred spirit defined everything of a beyblade, the last memory defined his collective experience of something.

_A broken arm…_

There it was again: a flashback. Its number had been increasing ever since Kai got here.

_"Sure, I'll teach you how to beyblade. And the good part of it is you can do it even indoors! There, at least you'll still have fun despite your mom's rule!" _

_"Really?" Someone in pigtails… _

_"Of course! Let's do it tomorrow, since we'll be busy with catching the snowflake tonight."_

The memory was fragmented but it brewed in Kai a strangely enjoyable sensation. So it _was_ a good memory then. If he could recall it this vividly compared to all the other fuzzy memories his search had brought up him with, then it was also highly possible that this place hid his missing last memory. So he _had_ enjoyed a normal yet happy childhood before the abbey came along.

But who was that person he was with? For the rest of the trip heading up the slope, he pondered about it. But he could only come up with no one. Deciding to rest his mind for a while, Kai gazed ahead of him.

Hiromi was unusually quiet, just walking as though on autopilot. What she was thinking about, Kai couldn't decipher.

At last they reached flat white ground again. Suzaku flapped its firey wings one last time before it dematerialized back into the bit chip. Instantly Dranzer flew back to Kai's outstretched hand and he hid it in his pocket.

For a few minutes Hiromi, still ahead of him, neither moved nor spoke. Meanwhile Kai's gaze wandered around him. It must be because of his mind's eye but he was seeing a snowman where Hiromi's pile of snow ammunition stood. He blinked, only to find a formed snow angel in the place where the girl had hidden herself from Kai before…

Then Hiromi took a step forward, and then another. And then another. Before Kai knew it, she was just several feet away from where the cliff had broken off.

Kai stared at her in masked mixed disbelief and alarm. Had she lost her mind already? Hadn't she learned by now? He rushed to reach her, ready to give its vocal equivalent.

"It's the same thing… It's just like last year."

He stopped in his tracks.

"He forgot all about it. He forgot all about me again…"

He headed over to Hiromi's side and turned to her.

Her head bowed low, chocolate bangs hiding the expression in her eyes. But she seemed to be shaking. "What was I thinking…"

Kai waited for her to continue but she said nothing more. Her unusual silence was so tense and heavy, almost bothersome that he would have preferred her chattering anything even nonsense over this. The silence lasted for what seemed like hours even though Kai was pretty sure it had been only several minutes. He gazed ahead of him.

**_"__Zutto… zutto… soba ni ite… _**_/ __Stay by my side forever, forever… / **"**_

That melody sounded vaguely familiar. Eyes widening a bit, Kai whirled at Hiromi.

**_"__Daisuki na kimi wo mitsumetetai… _**_/ __I want to keep gazing at my beloved you… / _**_"_**

The words came out half-heartedly but the line was triggering, pulling and playing with strings tying images in his mind. No, it _was_ familiar, and his memory sharpened even more. Kai stared at Hiromi in disbelief. How come she was familiar with the song as well?

**_"__Snowflakes…__"_** The rest of the words died as Hiromi sighed in defeat. "I've expected too much. Of course I did." She laughed to herself but the laughter didn't sound real.

_Hiromi…_

"You know, I once had a childhood playmate who gave me a snowflake." Her gaze fell on the ornament below her neck. "He told me before that if I catch the perfect snowflake, my Christmas wish will come true. On the fifth day since we met, I heard a rumor that the actual perfect snowflake always appears here. So we went here hours before Christmas eve." She gave a wistful smile. "That night I chased and tried to catch it… I fell off the cliff instead."

Kai's heart pounded at this._ You…_

"That was the last night I ever saw him. Each year before Christmas I've waited for him to appear to me here. Maybe my wish never comes true because even so, I never dared to catch the perfect snowflake here again since that incident. I would try to do it anywhere else and then rush over here. Looking back, the ones I've caught must be ordinary ones."

Kai gazed at her incredulously, his mind reeling, before shifting the same gaze before him. It had to be a coincidence. Hiromi had fallen here before. A perfect snowflake on Christmas eve…

"This year I have a different wish, though. It's a special one for me that I believed catching the perfect snowflake here would be worth it. Whether or not I would be able to catch it, I still had believed earlier that I would see that person again. But like what I said, I've expected too much." Finally Hiromi turned to him. "You must be wondering why I'm spouting such nonsense to you. Sorry Kai, I can't help it. I just have to let it out before I burst." She looked at the ground.

A wish…

_"Go away! I hate you!" _

_"But I—"_

_"No! All I just wanted was to be able to play in the snow and you said you'd help me! Thanks to you, I couldn't play even more now!" She sniffed, cringing at the sight of her fractured arm._

_Kai also winced. "I—I'm sorry," he stammered._

_"What's the use?" she retorted angrily. "Kaasan didn't want me to get hurt; that's why I'm not allowed to play during winter. How can I play now? How can I learn how to beyblade? I can't do anything; this is your fault! I don't want to see you again!" _

_Kai's face fell. "You will never see me anymore."_

_The girl blinked. "What?"_

_"Well, I just came to apologize and say goodbye. I'm leaving for my training tomorrow."_

Kai's eyes widened at Hiromi. _It can't be…_

_[To be continued…]_

* * *

_- Please leave a review. Thanks! And Merry Christmas / Belated Merry Christmas / Merry Christmas in advance (whatever is applicable to you right now)! :)_


	3. Make A Wish Upon Your Kiss

___**DISCLAIMER:**_ I don't claim_Beyblade_ as mine._Meri Kuri_ belongs to BoA.

_- Here's the final installment. I would like to thank **(Guest)**, **Moonlight Serenity**, and **LiAnn** for reviewing the previous chapter.  
_

_Review response:  
_

_**(Guest)** - I'm glad to meet another KxH fan like you. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope this chapter will satisfy your curiosity. :)_

_** Moonlight Serenity** - Thank you for the compliment and for the review! I hope you'll enjoy what you're about to read in a while. :)_

_**LiAnn** - Again thank you for your detailed review. It made me feel this fic is not a lost cause after all. I enjoyed writing Kai as a kid here; it makes me wish pre-abbey Kai was shown in canon. What he will do upon remembering Hiromi from before? Well, you'll find out later. I hope you'll enjoy this last chapter._

_Okay. Let's move on._

_*bows*_

* * *

**PERFECT SNOWFLAKE**

_Final Chapter  
_

* * *

Kai stood frozen. Details continued flooding his mind_…_ _  
_

_"Well, I just came to apologize and say goodbye. I'm leaving for my training tomorrow."_

_She looked so surprised. "What training? Why do you need to?"_

_"To become the best beyblader. To be strong, to be perfect." Once Kai became perfect, he would never fail again just like how he had failed to save her in time from falling hours ago._

_Her dainty forehead creased. "Where—Where's that?"_

_"In a faraway place."_

_"You're going away right after Christmas?" _

_A shake of the head. "Tonight." Even he wasn't told about it until the very last minute._

_"But if you go…" The girl looked almost stricken. "…then I won't have a playmate anymore."_

_Kai stared at her strangely. "I thought you said you don't want to see me again." _

_She blinked, then snapped out of her troubled state, the crossed look returning on her face. "That's right; I don't want to. We're not friends anymore!" She turned her head away from him, refusing to meet his sad face. _

_"Well… I have to go now. Merry Christmas. And goodbye." He turned to walk away and soon reached the door._

_But he froze when he heard someone crying. Hard. He glanced over his shoulder to find the girl's face streaming with hot tears, rushing to her side. "Hey… are you okay?" _

_She shook her head, still sobbing._

_And it made him frown. "Does your arm still hurt? I'll go get your mom—"_

_"You're leaving tonight and I'm g-going to be alone again after that." Her frail body was shaking as she spoke; so did her voice. "You're the only one who ever played with me in the snow. I want you to still be my playmate." Her eyes shut tight, tears sliding down even further. "I still want us to be friends!" And she cried even harder, saying nothing more, leaving Kai with no idea how to make her feel better._

_But suddenly, he was aware of the snow showering outside the window, and the idea hit him._ **"Zutto_…_ zutto_…_ iitekute _…_"**

_The girl blinked, looking up but saying nothing._

**"Tsuki atte kurete nee arigatou_…_** **"**

_She straightened up, finally listening to him. _

**"Motto suki na hito tsuyoku—"**

_"No, you're singing it all wrong!" she cut him off. "It's supposed to be like this!" She took a deep breath to correctly sing the out-of-tune lines:_

**"Zutto zutto iitekute** / I've always, always wanted to say /  
**Tsuki atte kurete nee arigatou** / Thank you for getting together with me /  
**Motto suki na hito tsuyoku** / The snow falls, saying /  
**Dakishime nasai to yuki wa furu no…** / 'Hold the person you love even more…' / **"**

_Kai clapped his hands enthusiastically. "You sound great!"_

_She sniffed, doubtful. "Really?" _

_"Yeah! Can you sing the rest of the song?" _

_The back of her uninjured hand wiped away the tears from her eyes, she proceeding to finish in a still slightly shaky but in-tune voice what she had started. By the time she reached the last chorus, her voice was steady already._

**"Zutto zutto soba ni ite** / Be by my side forever, forever /  
**Onaji yume sagasu tabi wo shitai** / I want to go on a journey towards the dream we share /  
**Snowflakes sora ga machikado ni** / Snowflakes, the sky is drawing white breaths /  
**Shiroi iki wo haku hora yuki dayo** / On the street corner; look, it's snowing /  
**The white, white snow's coming tonight—"**

**"Make a wish upon your kiss…"**_ Kai joined in with her on the final line, this time in the right notes._

_"Hey, you got it right!" The girl almost smiled. But when she saw the knowing look in the boy's eyes, the smile vanished. "You said before you couldn't get any part of the song correctly no matter how many times I sang it! You tricked me!"_

_He just shrugged innocently. "I'm a quick learner, that's all." _

_In response, she screamed. "You really _did_ trick me!"_

_"And it made you feel better, didn't it?"_

_Suddenly she was at loss for words, as though it were slowly sinking in that he was right. "I do." Her eyes deliberately blinked a few times. "Hey, I'm not crying anymore!" _

_Kai couldn't help but smile at his deed. "See?"_

_"Yeah. Thank you." Finally she was smiling, really smiling. "So does that mean you also like this song?" _

_"A love song?" He made a face of disgust. "Eeeeeew!" _

_"It's a nice song!" she shot back defensively, yet sounding offended._

_"Of course it's nice for you. Love songs are only for girls!" _

_"But it's also about snow!" At the last word, she fell silent, staring in forlorn at the cascading white outside her window. "I can't wish now; I missed the first snow of Christmas." _

_Kai stared at her for a long time, frowning at her sadness. Finally he brought out a crystalline figure out of his pocket and reached it out to her. "Here… you can have this."_

_Her gaze of shock was long on his open palm. "But that's your perfect snowflake."_

_"I don't care." He gazed at the floor in shame. "It's my fault that you wouldn't be able to play in the snow from now on even if your mom were to allow you because of your fracture. If you have this with you, at least you have captured your wish even without catching the first snowflake." _

_"But you'll lose your own wish without your snowflake." _

_"Then I'll just wait for next year to catch the first snowflake on Christmas." _

_Then her big eyes grew worried. "Where will you catch it then?" _

_"I don't know." _

_"So I won't be able to see you ever again?" _

_"I don't know." A pause. "Maybe." _

_And she looked like she was about to break into tears once more. _

_"Hey, don't cry! I don't want to sing that mushy song again just to make you stop." _

_"Okay." She sniffed a few times to hold back those tears. "But if I keep it for now and give it back to you after some time, then we'll see each other again, right?" _

_"Well, yeah… Wait. That would mean I'm just lending my snowflake, not giving it to you!" _

_"Don't you want your snowflake anymore?" With a free hand, she took it, but something about it made her examine it closer. "Hey, this is not a real snowflake; it's a tree decoration!" _

_"It's a _perfect_ snowflake," he insisted. "See how perfectly symmetrical it is?"  
_

_"How could this be a Christmas wish? It's not real snow!" _

_"It's the first snowflake I caught last year. Somewhere outside the park, there was a huge Christmas tree where I waited for the first fall of snow. And then I saw the snowflake decoration near the top of the tree and I tried to jump to reach it. But just when I thought I wouldn't be able to, the branches shook and the snowflake ornament hanging on it fell, so I caught it. It's not the real thing but like I said, it's still a snowflake. And it's perfect." _

_"But if you caught it, then it's your wish." _

_"But if I give it to you, then it's _your_ wish."_

_"If you do that, then it's like we won't see each other again! Unless…" Her expression dissolved into a thoughtful look. "Unless… we agree on something." She tried to think hard. "I got it. I'll keep the snowflake like you said but you get the wish. What we just need is the wish—" She raised the snowflake to indicate her point. "—to be present when you want it to come true, right?" _

_"Well, you have a point," he agreed, nodding slowly. _

_"Of course, I have a point. So, do you want to wish right now?" _

_"Yeah. I'll do it." His eyes closed while he took hold of the snowflake. "I wish…" As he made a silent one, he felt soft lips kiss his paintless cheek. His eyes snapped open and he recoiled in surprise at the now smiling girl. "Gross!" He wiped off the kiss from his cheek with the back of his hand, much to her indignation. "Why did you do that?" _

_"It's what the song said. And it's not gross!"_

_"It said, _Make a wish upon your kiss._ You kiss, you wish!" _

_"Well… Then you owe me one!"_

_"You mean, when you wish… I must kiss you?" A look of horror and disgust came upon his face. "No way. I don't kiss girls! Yuck!" _

_"Kai." His grandfather opened the door. "It's time to go now."_

_"Already?" Kai pouted as the old man then shut the door. _

_The girl watched this exchange. "Is there nothing I can do to stop you?" _

_He shook his head, then turned to her to hand over the snowflake. He frowned at first, sensing something wrong. Then pulling out a long loose yarn from his thick sweater, he inserted the eye of the snowflake on it and tied the whole item around the girl's neck. _

_She cast her gaze on it in admiration. "Wow… It's like a pretty necklace on me." When she looked up, it was clear that she was trying to fight down her sadness at the fact that he was going away, and she just weakly smiled instead. "Well, I'll return this to you one day. And when I do, I get to have my wish, whatever it is! So don't forget it and me!" _

_"Let's see." _

_"Let's see?" she echoed. "What do you mean by that? You don't want to see me anymore?" _

_"Hmm… let's see." _

_"Argh! Come on! I'm asking you what you meant by that!" _

_"Nothing," he simply said, smiling cutely. "Well, goodbye. And Merry Christmas." He ambled very slowly to the door like walking out of the room was the last thing he wanted to do. _

_"Kai!"_

_He paused, looking over his shoulder._

_Her eyes grew slightly wide with curiosity. "What exactly did you wish for?" _

_And his eyes twinkled in slight mischief in return, before facing the door again. "Secret."_

_She huffed at this. "Now I _really_ am going to hate you! If we're not going to see each other again and you _still_ won't tell me—"_

_"It won't happen."_

_That made her still. "What?" _

_He was silent for a while before he gazed at her for the final time. _

_"I wished that we would still meet each other again someday." _

He finally remembered.

* * *

It was the same thing all over again.

Her heart sinking again, Hiromi faced the cliff. Maybe she should stop hoping that the boy would ever come back. Even their childhood song wasn't making her feel better anymore.

She tried to stop it but a familiar distant ache inside her tightened her chest. There was no denying it: Over time, Hiromi's yearly thoughts about her playmate had been colored by sentiment for him that later had developed into infatuation. She knew it was foolish of her but she couldn't help it. Her eyes shut tight. _I miss him so much._

_Really, _really_ much.  
_

Kai glanced up, then looked at her. "It's coming."

Hiromi blinked, then slowly raised her head toward the sky. Specks of soft white were slowly drifting down on them. "Snow," she breathed, turning to her side to watch a particular fleck landing ahead of the rest. Landing in her direction.

But she felt Kai's fingers claim her chin without warning and brought it so close to his face.

Light purple eyes seemed a shade deeper, like behind them there was something being recalled. "I'm giving you this chance. You know what you should do."

Her heart raced wildly at this sudden close proximity, at his warm breath from his hovering face. Chance? Know what she should do? Now what was she supposed to… _No way…_ It suddenly hit her, eyes automatically shutting, yet unable to believe it. _Kai… Kai's the one who…_

As his lips swiftly closed in on hers yet gently lingered, she felt the first fleck of Christmas snow settle lightly on her cold left cheek. And at that long moment, warmth and contentment that could last until her death was all she could feel.

Slowly Kai pulled his face away a little from hers. Hiromi's reddish-brown orbs slowly opened, watching as Kai's own ones drew open yet remained in a half-lidded manner. For a while his gaze held hers, an unreadable expression resting there, before he released her chin to finally draw away to their normal distance. "Now we're even."

Almost in a daze, the brunette's fingers lightly touched her lips, touched the wish on her cheek and gently held it in her palm. She had finally—really—caught her own perfect snowflake after all this time so that it would be fulfilled in a very special night. But apart from her, only one person knew the significance of it—and the specific way it was to be fulfilled. "You…"

Kai said nothing but the look of understanding in his eyes told her what she needed to know.

_I don't believe this._ "You remembered," she uttered softly, the shock slowly dissolving into something else.

"Hiromi."

Abandoning all truth about Kai being a distant person, she threw herself and hugged him so hard, they both nearly collapsed.

Kai froze.

But Hiromi paid no notice. Instead she nearly felt like crying, her fist now pounding on his chest. "Where have you been?" she asked, frustrated. "What took you so long?"

A few seconds later, she felt him place a light hand on the back of her head. At this she lost the strength to keep pounding at him; instead her hands moved away to clutch his soft and warm jacket and she buried her face there. Shaking, she pressed herself so hard against him and so long until all her frustration in waiting, all her longing for his return evaporated into the cold air.

And all throughout that long time, Kai never moved back.

_Kai…_ Finally having exhausted all the weighing emotions inside her, Hiromi now felt not just rising euphoria but also a strange kind of gratefulness. Perhaps this feeling had something to do with the fact that Kai, after being crafted by different trials in life, seemed to be one who would now throw away memories of momentary childhood happiness. Memories of being with her. Yet he didn't.

She loosened her hold and then pulled away from Kai. "This is so surreal. All this time of waiting, you were here all along."

He nodded.

"Even though I didn't know it was you, I was afraid it didn't matter to you anymore." But even in the midst of her elated state, she recalled something else. "Wait a sec. Have you known about this the whole time—without telling me?" she demanded.

Kai slightly craned his head. "Only ten minutes ago."

"Ten minutes?" she echoed. "I spent ten unnecessary minutes nearly going crazy thinking how this Christmas eve will end up just like last year? You could have at least told me the minute you remembered, you know! And to think that I kept on wondering if I'll ever see you again—" She stopped when she saw him regarding her again with that stoic expression of his. "What?"

He stared at her for a little longer, then closed his eyes and looked mildly amused. "Even after all these years, you never actually changed."

"And you, on the other hand, actually overdid it," she returned. Then she smiled. "But despite that, I'm glad that we did meet again." Carefully she began to remove the snowflake necklace off her neck. "I guess it's time to keep my end of our deal." But when she was about to hand it over to Kai, he shook his head. "What's wrong?"

"Keep it."

"Me?" She was definitely surprised. "Don't you want it anymore?" Or had it lost its value for him after all these years?

"Consider it a Christmas gift from me."

"But then we would be uneven—again. Besides, I don't have any gift, and even if I do, I don't have it with me right now."

"Gifts aren't everything. There are many things in this world that are far more worthwhile than those."

She slowly nodded, getting what he meant. Kai really had grown up. She was going to miss his innocent side but it _was_ for a good change. "Well, if you really insist, then who am I to resist?" She wore the necklace again, a smile playing on her lips. "Thanks a lot, Kai. Not just for the snowflake but also for the chance to make my Christmas wish come true."

"Don't mention it. Ever." He gave her a look that told her he meant what he said. "You should be aware that I was keeping my end of the deal."

"Of course," she promised.

As she uttered those words, she felt something cold—another snowflake—nip her nose. Craning her head, her breath was stolen away. White after white was sailing gently upon her and Kai, the light shower in the backdrop of winter stars sparking a memory of a whimsical fantasy in her childhood days. A liberty from her conventions as a grownup to become a child again. To revive her imagination of herself as a snow maiden in her own land.

So without hesitation, she spread out her arms as though to welcome the snow blessing the moonlit sky, a huge smile on her face. Reveling first at the wonderful sensation, she ran away from the cliff to capture whatever falling snowflakes she set her eyes on. After all these long years, she finally, _really_, got to play in the snow, and she had no idea it would be this enjoyable, so enjoyable that she could continue doing it until the next Christmas eve without a care. Her graceful body whirled over and over while gazing at the night sky. "It's snowing, Kai! Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah," Kai murmured, light eyes never leaving the dancing girl before him.

When she was finished frolicking in the white shower, she let herself drop to the ground of thick snow. She waved her arms and legs to form a snow angel, grinning like never before. The happiness inside her escalating further, she could contain it no longer and burst into laughter for release. When was the last Christmas eve she had felt this good?

"If you're already done being a lunatic, we can go home now."

Hiromi pretended to scowl at Kai, who was now towering over her, an unemotional mask on his face again. "Can't a girl who was forbidden to play during winter be a lunatic once in a while? But yeah, I'm done." She waited for Kai to reach out his hand to her, but all he did was stare down at her. "Hey, aren't you even going to help me stand up?"

"You're not a child anymore, Hiromi. You can get up on your own."

"Pft." Although a bit reluctant, she sat up. As she did, her glance fell on the snowflake before her chest, remembering how Kai gave it to her, how he, in his own way, wanted her to own it. Did he realize how it was beyond that? Keeping his snowflake meant keeping his wish. Was this what he wanted?

Still wondering about this as she got on her feet, she watched him wait for her and then silently brushed the snow off her clothes. How long was his wish going to last?

"Hiromi."

She snapped out of it.

"Your wish." His eyes locked with hers. "What was it?"

For a while, Hiromi deliberately said nothing, a part of her curious on how long Kai could take the suspense, another part wondering why he was showing interest in her wish. When she began to see a slight crease of impatience on his forehead, she suppressed a smile and instead skipped forward to get ahead of him. Glancing over her shoulder, she answered him, true to childhood memory. "Secret."

His features remained that of someone who could care less but Hiromi could sense that he wasn't exactly pleased with her answer. He had to know she was just paying him back. Still, keeping the truth from a person like Hiwatari Kai who wanted only direct answers would be tough, so she just gave in anyway. "All right, all right, I'll tell you. Well… I didn't wish."

His brows slightly moved heavenward in suppressed surprise. "Rather foolish, don't you think? You wasted your only chance."

"You make it sound like I did it on purpose." Then she sighed. "I had wanted to wish but when you encouraged me a while ago, I couldn't think of any." At Kai's silence, indicating he was listening intently to her, she continued. "I really don't get it. Ever since you left, I've always wanted to wish but it was only five years ago when I finally got to do it: keep on waiting for the snow and wishing until last year. My wish remained constant as years passed but nothing ever happened. This year, I have a particular wish but then it didn't occur to me when you were kissing me."

She mentally frowned. "I don't understand. Why, Kai? Don't we wish for the impossible or what we couldn't have and then become happy when they come true? Why couldn't my wishes come true and when they gain the chance to become real, they die on me? It's like… It's like I'm never meant to be happy." Now that just sounded really pathetic to her ears now. But what possible answer could there else be?

For a while, Kai regarded her in silence with an expressionless face. But it didn't take long before Hiromi witnessed a soulful look in his eyes as though there was something much deeper there than what he was conveying, as though to imply something else to her. He then gazed ahead of him.

"They don't come true," he paused, "because you don't need any wishes."

Auburn orbs widened at those wise words.

"Now let's really go home."

It was too good to be true.

He started walking ahead of her, his broad back on her. He was right; Hiromi wasn't a child anymore—and neither was Kai. Now that they both had grown up, it wasn't all about playtime or fun anymore; unspoken things ran deeper between them.

_But still…_ Her eyes fell on the snowflake once more before looking up. "Kai."

He halted but did not turn around.

Her right hand clutched at the Christmas ornament. "Even after all these years, now finding out who I am… do you regret making your wish?" _I, who is bossy, I, whom you always have to rescue, I, who must be a bother to you by now…_

Silence.

_I thought so._ Hiromi looked away.

"I never did."

She blinked, then stared at him. _I never did,_ his words echoed in her mind. Silently her feet neared to reach his side, and she wondered if he was just playing nice so as not to crush her.

"I really want to see you again."

His words must be directed at Hiromi in secret, for his voice came out almost inaudibly that Hiromi barely heard it—but she did. Not _want_ed. _Want_, the word echoed.

_Wishing that we can exist as more than just friends by my meaning much more to him—it's all I ever want… _

_"I really want to see you again."_

_"They don't come true… because you don't need any wishes."_

Of course. Not a single wish of hers had ever come true… because there was no need to make one. What for, when all of them had been true from the start? The happiness she had been seeking throughout this entire time really wouldn't exist from making the impossible real, from getting what she couldn't have._ It's from realizing I own it all along._

It wasn't love, a word too strong for now between her and Kai. But it didn't mean they could never end up in it.

It wasn't love, she was sure, but it was definitely something else.

And they could start from there.

She definitely didn't need any wishes at all.

_[The End]_

* * *

_- Done at last. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone that Kai and Hiromi didn't exchange verbal I love you's or suddenly make out or other usual stuff like that. It may not be the instant-just-add-hot water romance staple you might be looking for but that's just it. Love is not instant noodles that you can cook under three minutes and then _voilà!_ it is ready to be eaten. Rather it is a high-quality meat that you slowly roast not only for it to be cooked thoroughly but also to bring out its full flavor, juices and aroma. It is only then that you can fully savor and enjoy it. Besides, please remember that the other genre of this fic is friendship. An instant romance wouldn't fit it. That's why I'm striking at or playing with the borderline between romance and friendship between Kai and Hiromi. _

_But to clear any possible confusion, yes, in the fic they do care deeply about each other as more than friends. And their feelings can progress to the four-letter (yet sadly __commonly abused_ and confused term) word called love. Not that it won't. ;)  


_- I hope you guys enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave a review. Your comments mean much to me. Thanks and Happy New Year in advance! :)  
_


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